The Piston Foundation announced that 23 Piston Scholarships were awarded for 2023, 16 of them going to McPherson College Automotive Restoration students. This is the second year The Piston Foundation has granted Piston Scholarships to aspiring students who are training for careers in automotive restoration, collection management, and vintage motorsports.
McPherson College students receiving scholarships include:
Lindzie Archer, McPherson, Kan.
Lucas Beasley, Canton, Kan.
Edwin Buiter, Ireton, Iowa
Zoe Carmichael, Raleigh, N.C.
Jasper Fedders, Sioux Center, Iowa
Adam Hughes, Newman Lake, Wash.
Cody Kuss, Bremerton, Wash.
Carlos Leandry, McPherson, Kan.
Dryden Powell, Council Grove, Kan.
Philip Schieffelin, Limon, Colo.
Robert Schonberner, Omaha, Neb.
Riley Sojka, Wichita, Kan.
Blake Swingle, Columbus, Ohio
Elias Vasquez, Irving, Texas
Sean Whetstone, Fort Collins, Colo.
Samuel White, Topeka, Kan.
Piston scholars receive scholarships ranging from $3,750 to $5,000. The scholarships help pay tuition at the automotive school of their choice. This year, the Foundation saw a significant increase in the quality and diversity of scholarship applications compared to the initiative’s inaugural year in 2022. Twenty-three recipients were selected from among 130 applicants in 37 states, attending 27 different schools There were also 6 returning scholars, each having been one of the initial 10 to receive an award last year.
“It’s not true that young people aren’t interested in working in collector car restoration. Our 2023 Piston Scholars are proof,” said Piston founder Robert Minnick. “Each of our scholarship recipients is knowledgeable and passionate about classic cars. Our mission is to help them, and other future technicians, get the education and training they need to build their careers.”
The Piston Foundation is a public charity that works for the car enthusiast community, aiming to guide more young people down a successful career path with cars through its scholarship programs.